February 18, 2010
Mark 7
Pastor Paul Glenn
While washing hands before eating is important, Jesus focused on the more important topic of clean hearts. In Mark 7:20, He said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’.” Jesus then lists the evil in men’s hearts.
Too often I have read the first four or five items on the list and thought “these don’t apply to me” before skipping impatiently over the rest of the items. However, I would like for you to contemplate the entire list with me. There are some evils that may not seem as “big” – for example, deceit, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. However, Jesus said that any of these evils hiding in our hearts will show up in our speech. They defile us.
Let’s take a prayerful look at our hearts by listening to the way we speak to others. Ask the Lord to reveal any hidden content that needs to be cleaned out.
Before joining the Grace Covenant pastoral staff, Paul Glenn served as a public accountant, financial analyst, small business consultant and controller/CFO of an international textile firm.
